Coin holding and delivering machine.



No. 799,351. PATENTED SEPT.12, 1905.

J. W. MEAKER. I

COIN HOLDING AND DELIVERING MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED 0GT.17,1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

No; 799,351. PATENTED SEPT. 12,1905. J. W. MBAKER.

COIN HOLDING AND DELIVERING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED 001.217.1904.

2 SHEETS-31131 2.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN IV. MEAKER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO CLARENCE POOLE,TRUSTEE, OF EVANSTON, ILLINOIS.

COIN HOLDING AND DELIVERING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 12, 190 5.

Application filed October 17, 1904. Serial No. 228,848.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known thatI, JOHN W. MEAKER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Coin Holding andDelivering Machines; and I do hereby declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon,which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to composite coin holding, counting, andchange-making machines wherein coins of various sizes and denominationsare stacked in a plurality of grooves or trough-like receptaclesprovided with individual coin-ejecting mechanisms.

The machine illustrated in the accompanying drawings embodies adesirable form of apparatus, in which is contained the several featuresincluded in my invention. In said machine the coin-holding receptaclesare inclined upwardly and rearwardly from their forward or deliveryends. Means are also included whereby the coins in each trough areadvanced toward the forward or delivery ends of the troughs and theejecting mechanisms there located, which means consist of gravity-actingslides adapted to press at their forward ends against the rear ends ofthe stacks of coins in the troughs in such manner as to maintain at alltimes the advance or lowermost coin of each stack in a position to beacted upon by its ejecting mechanism. The said gravity-acting slides areprovided with coin-receptacles, so that said slides serve also as coincounting and storing devices.

My invention consists in the matters particularly pointed out in theappended claims.

Figure 1 is a view in perspective showing a portion of a machineembodying the main features of my invention. Fig. 2 is a perspectiveview of one of the improved gravityacting slides, showing the samedetached from the machine. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section ofthe machine, taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a fragmentary viewin elevation of the ejecting or lower front end of the coin-grooves,showing the gravity-slides and coins removed. Fig. 5 is a fragmentarysectional view taken on line 5 5 of Fig. 3.

The apparatus embodying my invention shownin the accompanying drawingsincludes a supporting stand or base consisting of lat eral frame-platesA A, extending from front to rear of the machine and connected at theirforward ends by a horizontal front plate A. The rear portion of themachine is desirably unprovided with an inclosing or end wall and theframe-plates A A are connected only at their front and top edges. Theupper top margins of the frame-plates A A are continuously inclinedupwardly from front to back and carry on their upper inclined edges atop plate B, which spans the inclosure formed by the said frame-plates AA and the front plate A. The said top plate B is provided withlaterally-projecting flanges I), which overhang the upper inclinedmargins of the frameplates A and are secured thereto by countersunkscrews or other suitable securing means. Said flanges 6 preferablyextend throughout the length of the plate B at either side marginthereof and are provided at their forward ends with elevated projectionsb, desirably equal in width to said flanges and which in the deviceshown are formed integral therewith. The said top plate Bis providedwith parallel longitudinally-disposed troughs or grooves 6 extendingthroughout its length, which serve as coin-receptacles and in which thecoin used in making change is stacked. The walls of said troughs b arepreferably V-shaped in cross-section and are provided at their uppermargins with longitudinal inwardly-projecting flanges 6 adapted forengagement with gravity-acting slides, as will hereinafter more fullyappear. The troughs b are divided by upwardly-extending flanges I)",provided at their lower or front ends with elevated projections 72similar to those formed upon the flanges Z). The troughs so formed inthe top plate B are uniform in size throughout their length and theseveral troughs are adapted to receive coins of different denominations,the widest groove in the machine shown being adapted to receivehalf-dollars, the next smaller to receive quarters, and the remainingtroughs being each of graduallylessening size for coins of smallerdenominations.

Now referring to the construction of the parts at the forward ordelivery ends of the troughs b 6 said troughs are provided with endwalls a (0, against which rest the forward ends of the stacks of coinsin the troughs, said end walls being provided with slots arrangedcentrally with respect to the troughs through which the movable parts ofthe ejecting devices pass in acting on the coins. In the particularconstruction shown the said end walls a a consist of integral extensionsof the front frame-plate A, which extensions are bent downwardly andoutwardly along the line of the upper margin of said plate to form theforwardly-directed part aand are then bent upwardly to form the endwalls a a. The upper ends of said extensions are preferably narrowed toform prongs a a, which are bent over the top surfaces of theupwardlyprojecting parts 5 and If.

The ejecting mechanism whereby coins from each stack may be deliveredone by one into the hand of the operator during the operation of makingchange, as shown in the accompanying drawings, are made as follows: C isa horizontal shaft which is journaled at its ends in apertures formed inthe side frameplates A A and which engages between its ends lugs b b,which depend from the top plate B. As before stated, each trough isprovided with independently-operating mechanism for ejecting coins, andtwo lugs are preferably provided below each trough, said lugs beingspaced at equal distances from the centers of the troughs. Between thelugs b and below each trough is mounted a lever C, which extendsoutwardly through guide-slots (0 formed in the front frame-plate A. Thelever C at its inner end is pivotally mounted on the shaft C, and it isprovided at its outer end with an integral extension a, bent at rightangles to the body portion of the levers, and also with an outwardly orforwardly extending finger-piece or key 0, adapted to be engaged by thefinger of the operator in the act of ejecting the coin. The unit ofvalue of the coin contained in the groove with which each finger-pieceis associated may be stamped or otherwise applied to said finger piece.The levers C are formed of a single strip of sheet metal having lateralupwardly-bent side flanges C apertured for the passage of the shaft (3,said flanges serving to stiffen the lever. Upon the upwardly-bentportion 0 of the lever C is pivotally mounted a coin-ejecting lever D,having a coin-ejecting finger (Z, adapted to project within the slotformed in the end wall a a sufficient distance to engage the peripheryof the lowermost or advance coin in the trough. The said levers D areprovided with shoulders d, which engage the outer faces of the walls ato prevent the finger d from projecting into troughs a distancesuflicient to engage more than one coin at a time. The ejector-lever Dis pivoted upon inwardly-projecting lugs c and extends below its pivotalconnection to a point adjacent to the main body of the lever C, where itis bent upon itself in a U-shaped formation to constitute acounterweight. By reference to Fig. 3 it will be seen that theejecting-lever D normally assumes an inclined position and that itsweighted lower end (Z serves at all times to yieldingly hold theshoulders d in contact with the outer surfaces of the end walls a and toinsure engagement of the ejecting-finger with the forward or advancecoin in the trough.

In the machine illustrated the coin-troughs b b are not sufficientlyinclined to eflect the forward movement of the stacked coin by their ownweight, and the forward or downward movement is insured by the provisionof gravity-acting slides E, adapted to travel in the troughs b and toengage the rearmost coin of each stack, so that when the foremost coinhas been ejected the remaining coins of each stack will be moved forwarduntil the lowermost coin engages the end wall a, in which position it isadapted to be engaged by the ejecting-lever when the latter is againoperated. In the illustrated embodiment of my invention the said slidesin addition to the function just described are adapted to act as coinstoring and counting devices. When used in the latter capacity, they areprovided with receptacles adapted to receive and carry surplus coinswhich are not in immediate use in making change, the said receptacles ofeach slide being uniform in size and adapted to receive a prescribednumber of coins, so that the cashier in counting the currency needmerely count the number of filled receptacles, thereby saving the timeconsumed in counting each coin separately. In order to increase thecapacity of the coin-holding slides, the receptacles are formed in closeproximity to each other, and to avoid difiiculty of inserting andremoving groups of coins therefrom some of the receptacles arerelatively deep and some are relatively shallow, the same being arrangedin alternate order. Thus each alternate group of coins will projectabove the surface of its next adjacent group, thereby presenting agripping-surface for the fingers of the operator. In the particularconstruction shown the slides E comprise a four-sided elongated andhollow structure having imperforate lower walls 6 e and slotted upperwalls a e.

To prevent accidental or unintentional dislodgrnent of the slides fromtheir places in the troughs 6 ,5 the sides of the latter are providedwith longitudinal flanges Z1 which overhang the grooves and overlap theupper walls a. Said flanges prevent the slide E from being removed fromthe machine except from the rear or open ends of the troughs.

The slides E are provided each with a series of coin receptacles orslots 6 6 each slot being adapted to receive a prescribed number ofcoins of the same denomination as those contained in the particulargroove or trough in which the slide is located. The peripheral surfacesof the coins in the slots (2 engage the lower or bottom margins 0 whilethe side faces of the coins engage each other and the side or transversemargins a of the slots. In the deeper slots 0 the peripheral surfaces ofthe coins rest upon the lower or bottom margin a of the slots and alsoupon the inner surface of the lower walls 6, the faces of the coinsengaging each other and the side margin 6 as clearly shown in Fig. 5.

In order that the coins as they are ejected from the troughs may bethrown forward or outwardly from the machine and will fall in suchmanner as to he certainly caught by or deposited in the hand of theoperator, the end walls a of the troughs are inclined outwardly andforwardly or are placed at an angle to the center line of the troughs,this construction resulting in the several coins in the troughs assumingan oblique position therein, as clearly seen in Fig. 3. In connectionwith the inclined end walls the lower ends of the slides E are inclinedto correspond with the angular position of the end walls a a and so thatthey will be parallel with the last or rearmost coins of the stacks withwhich they come in contact.

One advantage of my improved construction is that only a portion ofcoins necessary for immediate use by the cashier need be stacked in thetroughs. The remainder of the coins which are received may be lodged inthe slides. Therefore when the receipt of coin greatly exceeds theamount paid out the machine can be emptied by merely withdrawing thefilled slides, the amount of money contained therein being alreadydetermined, this operation being effected without disturbing the coinstacked in the troughs. Another advantage of my improved construction isthat in making change when the demand for coin of one denominationexceeds the receipts of that particular denomination the coin-stacks maybe quickly replenished from the slides by merely'engaging the particularslide and pushing it backwardly in its trough. When the stack has beenreplenished, the slide being released will automatically return andengage the rearmost coin of the stack and maintain the latter inengagement with the end wall of the trough. A further advantage of myimproved construction is that toward the close of a business day thecashier may transfer from the troughs to the slides coins in excess ofthose that are needed to finish the days business, and at the end of theday can further transfer the remaining coins, (except coins in excess ofthe number required to make up complete groups to fill the receptacles,)and will then be able to easily complete the total amount of cashrepresented by the coin in the machine by observing the number of filledslots or compartments of the slides, the entire amount of currencycontained in the machine being thus determined quickly and accuratelywithout consuming the time of the cashier in counting the same by hand.It will be obvious that the machine herein described has the advantageof performing at once the functions of a coin tray or holder, acoin-counter, and a change-maker.

While I have herein shown the improved gravity-acting slides as providedwith 'coinholding receptacles and adapted to contain currency not inimmediate use in change-making, I do not wish to be limited to thisparticular construction of the slides, as the feature of the inventioncould be realized by slides adapted mainly to advance the stacked coinsin'the troughs.

While I have herein shown and described a specific embodiment of myinvention, I do not wish to be limited to the precise form shown, aschanges may be readily made without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

I claim as my invention 1. ,A coin-holding machine comprising aplurality of inclined coin holding troughs adapted for the delivery ofcoins at their lower ends and gravity-acting slides constitutingcoin-receptacles and adapted to act on the coins in the troughs toadvance the same into position for delivery.

2. A coin-holding machine comprising a plurality of inclined coinholding troughs adapted for the delivery of coins at their lower ends,and gravity-acting slides adapted to travel in said troughs and advancesaid coins, said slides having each a plurality of coinreceptacles.

3. A coin-holding machine comprising a plurality of inclined coin-holding troughs adapted for delivery of coins at their lower ends, saidtroughs being of V form in crosssection and provided at the uppermargins of their side walls with inwardlyprojecting flanges, andgravity-acting slides constituting coin-receptacles and having inclinedtop and bottom walls which meet at an angle at the sides of saidslides'and the side margins of the inclined top walls of which areengaged with said inwardly-projecting flanges.

4- A coin-holding machine comprising a plurality of inclinedcoin-holding troughs adapted for the delivery of coins at their lowerends, and gravity-acting slides adapted to act on the coins to advancethem in the troughs and maintain the lowermost coins in position fordelivery, said slides being provided each with a plurality ofcoin-receptacles.

5. A coin-holding machine comprising a plurality of inclined coinholding troughs adapted for the delivery of coins from their lower ends,and gravity-acting slides adapted to travel in said troughs, said slidescomprising hollow sheet-metal structures having imperforate lower wallsadapted to engage said troughs and having in their upper wallstransverse slots forming a plurality of coin-receptacles.

6. A coin-holding machine comprising a plurality of inclinedcoin-holding troughs adapted for the delivery of coins from their lowerends, and gravity-acting slides adapted to travel in said troughs, saidslides having each a plurality of alternately deep and shallowcoin-receptacles.

7. A coin-holding and change-making machine comprising a plurality ofinclined coinholding troughs adapted for the delivery of coins fromtheir lower ends, individual ejecting mechanisms located at the deliveryends of said troughs, and gravity-acting slides constitutingcoin-receptacles and adapted to travel in said troughs to advance thecoin therein and maintain the lowermost coins in a position to be actedupon by the ejecting mechanisms.

8. A coin-holding and change-making machine comprising a plurality ofinclined coinholding troughs adapted for the delivery of JOHN W. MEAKER.\Vitnesses:

CHAS. M. DAYTON, GEORGE B. Sluons.

